Mag-log inLucien's POVThe servant had been wearing the colors of the northern pack.That was all anyone could tell me by midmorning.After another hour of holding Five and wondering what exactly she had done to me, I had finally gotten out of bed to investigate what had happened last night. Theron stood across my desk with the report in his hand, his posture completely still. Decades of having him beside me told me exactly what that stillness meant. The situation was worse than we had anticipated. "The northern pack sent no servants to the festival," he informed. "Their Alpha confirmed it personally. Their delegation came with warriors only.""So the colors were borrowed," I concluded, my voice even."Stitched on," Theron corrected. "We found the uniform in a laundry chute on the lower level. The thread was fresh."I turned the vial over in my fingers.Cato had recovered it from the glass I had set down. There was a sliver of residue left, a few drops at the bottom. The compound was not f
Five's POVI woke up sore in places I hadn't known could be sore.It arrived in pieces, the way waking up did lately. First the ache in my thighs, then the low tenderness in my hips, then the faint sting along my neck where something had pressed and not quite broken skin.Then the weight.A heavy, warm arm was wrapped around my waist, a hand splayed flat against my stomach, holding me against a chest that rose and fell in the slow rhythm of deep sleep.I went very still.He was still here.I lay there with my eyes closed and let that settle. Multiple times I had woken up to an empty bed and my body had apparently learned to expect the absence, because the presence of him caught me completely off guard.He hadn't left.He hadn't slipped out before dawn to be the King somewhere else. He was asleep behind me with his face tucked near my shoulder and his hand on me like he had decided at some point in the night that I was something to hold onto.A ridiculous smile spread across my face.
Lucien's POVShe put her hand flat against my chest.And that was all it took.Ash surged. The bond roared. The last thread of restraint I had been clinging to snapped clean through.I had her against the wall before either of us fully registered the motion. One hand braced beside her head, the other locked around her waist, hauling her up so her back hit the cool stone and her legs had nowhere to go except around me. Her gasp was soft, startled, then deeper when I pressed in, letting her feel exactly how far past reason I already was."Lucien—""I know." My voice was wrecked, completely wrecked for her. "I know."Her fingers curled into the fabric of my jacket. "The room. We should—""I can't." The words tore out of me on a groan, low and raw. "Five. I can't wait. Not another second."Ash was right there, just under the surface, pushing hard enough that my vision edged red. The compound had stripped every careful layer I used to keep him leashed. What remained was pure, focused
Lucien’s POVShe was moving toward me.With that confidence.That smile.‘Find her,’ Ash snarled again, louder.I set down my glass."Excuse me," I said to the lord.And moved.Not toward Lord Harlan's daughter. I moved away from her.Her scent was too strong, too repulsive. I only craved one.Ash was pulling — not the rut's blind urgency but something more deliberate, something that knew exactly what it wanted and was done being patient about it.The bond.It wasn’t amplified by the compound. It was clarified by it. Every managed layer stripped away, every careful distance I had maintained.Gone.What was left was simple.I needed to find her.The festival was still ongoing, leaving midway still had its repercussion. But staying here longer in this state had more repercussions. Especially when the one person I was craving was a human slave the goddess had mated to me, and had warned about in the prophecy. I stepped out of the hall. I found Theron at the hall's east entrance. H
Lucien's POVThe second phase of the festival was supposed to be where I swept my bride away and mated her.But I had no bride.And the person I wanted to mate had disappeared.I scanned the crowd for what had to be the hundredth time and there was still no sign of Five.She hadn't fulfilled her promise to visit me last night.A part of me worried that I'd shown her too much, that I'd let her see just a fraction of what I felt for her. And she had run from it.But another part — the more logical part — worried for her safety.Especially with the presence of the facility officials.I had clocked Fenn the moment he arrived, had tracked his position through the evening with my peripheral vision. He hadn't approached me.He wouldn't. Not here. Not publicly.But he had watched.And somewhere between last night and tonight, Five had stopped being visible in the room. My wolf was restless, pacing, chanting her name. It took considerable effort not to show how badly her absence affected me
Five's POVThe night ended and to my greatest shame and relief, Lucien hadn't selected any of the eligible women.I hid a satisfied smile as I put the last of the tray away in the kitchen.The wetness was still evident between my legs.I was almost certain the wolves around me could smell it.I kept my expression neutral, my pace unhurried and my face pointing away from anyone who might read what was on it.‘Later,’ he had said.The word had been sitting in my chest since the corridor like an ember that hadn't decided yet whether to go out or catch.The kitchen was emptying — the festival winding down, the staff dispersing, the citadel settling back into itself after the evening's brightness. I waited until the last kitchen girl disappeared through the far door and then I set down my cloth and walked out.The corridor toward the King's wing was quieter than usual.Most of the guests were still in the main hall or dispersing to their assigned quarters. The guards were managing the flo
549’s POV“What’re you doing?” I whispered. She didn’t respond, just kept the gun pointed at me with steady hand.Her eyes were fixed on me, cold and calculating. “Answer me!” I snapped, my throat feeling raw, my head starting to pound. “You can’t leave this place.” She finally responded, her vo
549’s POVIt was time. For the first time, I wasn’t clad in a white dress. I wore a black trouser and a black turtleneck top. It felt… thrilling, like my first real act of rebellion. I was getting out of here with my friends. We’ll find other humans, find that paradise I’d dreamed of. We’ll be
549’s POVI curled up in my bed, my head heavy, my throat sore from crying. The higher ups would punish me for not looking after myself. But I couldn’t bring myself to care. Not when everything was crumbling around me, not when my fate had been sealed. I hated it, hated the breeding facility, th
549’s POV"You’ll never return to us." Twelve’s words echoed in my head. The dread tinged with melancholy made it sound more like a sentencing than a prediction. I stood on the far end of the line, my gaze on the floor, my shoulders squared, chest pushed out—just the way we were taught. My body







